


We Could Have Been Beautiful

by TheObscure



Category: Outlast (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions, Mount Massive Asylum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-18 09:46:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15483024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheObscure/pseuds/TheObscure
Summary: Eddie Gluskin's life had never been the same after the war. Fighting as a soldier left unseen Scars, Scars that were going to take time to heal. With the help of his wife and his new job at Mount Massive Asylum, he truly felt he was on his way to recovery.Text marked with ** are entries in Eddie's journal





	1. Chapter 1

*April 15, 1949*  
I woke early enough to see the sun rising today, it was the first time in a long time I've felt well enough to appreciate its beauty. Alice was still asleep, her chest rising and falling gently as she breathed, snoring ever so gently. A gentle smile was on her face, heaven knows what she was dreaming about. I tried not to wake her as I climbed from the bed, sliding the window up to look at the rising sun- the sky was a mixture of pastel oranges and pinks, the clouds looked like the softest cotton balls. I often thought to myself what the clouds would feel like- which always earned a laugh from Alice. When I heard her stirring gently, I smiled and pressed a kiss to her hair, taking in the scent of her shampoo.** Ever since the war had ended, Eddie Gluskin's life had never been the same. Fighting as a soldier left unseen scars, scars that were going to take time to heal. With the help of his wife, Alice and his new job at Mount Massive Asylum, he truly felt he was on his way to recovery. He had recently become employed as a guard at the local Asylum, much to Alice's concern. "Eddie, are you sure about this? I mean, isn't it unsafe?" She asked one day over dinner when Eddie had mentioned it to her. Alice had been worried about Eddie all through the war, they were married just before he left in 1940 but met three years before. There was an age gap between Alice and Eddie, with her being almost 13 years younger than him. When she asked him this, Eddie couldn't help but smile to himself and reach for her hand. His large fingers wrapped around her own and he raised her hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it. A smile settled across her face as her husband beamed his usual charming grin to her. "Honey, I'll be fine. I can look after myself, I'll be fine! It's a maximum security place, there's no way of the inmates getting out and even if they did, it could be easily solved. Trust me, sweetie, I'll be fine." Eddie reassured her, with a defeated sigh Alice nodded and took a drink from her wine before continuing with their food. Alice had been the worrying type since Eddie was shot in battle, leaving him with a small scar on his arm which he always kept covered by his usual long sleeved shirts, rolled to his elbows. As well as his arm, Eddie had been left with a large, noticeable red burn mark on the left side of his face, though Alice never found out how he got it. Eddie had first heard about the job at Mount Massive from his friend and former comrade Waylon Park, a Doctor at the Asylum. He had worked with the Army Medical team, making sure the men were all in top condition both on the inside and out. "I'm telling you, Gluskin, you'd be perfect for this type of thing. We need a cold Son of a Bitch like you for this type of work. These lunatics need their asses kicking into gear. A tall bastard such as yourself would scare the living shit out of them!" Waylon had told him over scotch one day, the whole speech caused Eddie to close his eyes and sigh as he drank, making Waylon laugh a little. "Sorry I forgot you hate swearing." "I do, it's..." "I know, I know 'vulgar'." Waylon interrupted with a snort, Eddie simply shook his head and refilled his tumbler. "So, you want the job or not? You'd have to wear a uniform, you understand. So none of your fancy shit... sorry, clothes." Eddie took a drink and looked down at his attire- as usual, he was wearing a white shirt, his dark blue waistcoat and bow tie with black trousers and his boots. He always dressed smartly, no matter where he was going or what he was doing. He believed gentlemen should always look their best. "Fine. I'm in. Thank you, Waylon. You're really getting me out of a tight spot here. Alice has been selling more of her dresses but she knows that's not enough to keep the house going and food on the table. I owe you." Eddie said, clasping a large, strong hand on Waylon's shoulder. "Jesus Christ, man! Just how strong are you?" Waylon exclaimed, rolling his shoulder as he laughed a little and shook his head. Eddie had never been aware of his own strength, Alice had complained many times that when he held her he almost near crushed her. With a sigh, Alice placed her fork down and took another drink from her wine. "But... Violent criminals, Ed. Violent murderers, rapists, who knows what else. Are you sure you'll... you know..." Alice began, dancing around her words so she didn't upset Eddie. The man simply took a drink from his wine before he stood from the table, stood behind his wife's chair and gently began to massage her shoulders. With a groan, Alice closed her eyes and allowed her head to fall to the side. "I'll be fine. At some point you need to stop worrying about me, my love. Whatever problems I had with my mind have been solved, the Doctor took care of that for me, remember? All of that is just like a bad dream now. So now," Eddie stopped his hands, knelt beside Alice and took her hands in his. "we can focus on starting our family. Our own, little, perfect family." Alice smiled and pressed a kiss to her husbands lips- Eddie's lips curled up into a soft smile as his hands climber Alice's back whilst hers tangled in his hair, messing it a little from its usual neat style. Alice knew how badly Eddie wanted children, however their attempts so far hadn't gotten them anywhere. She knew how much it upset Eddie, but they kept trying. When they broke the kiss, Alice pressed her forehead to Eddie's and sighed deeply. "You know I love you, right?" "Of course I do. And I love you." Alice whispered back, earning a large smile from Eddie. "Now, how about you show me this uniform of yours?" With a raised eyebrow, Eddie smirked and lifted Alice from the chair as though she weighed nothing, carrying her to their bedroom. *April 20, 1949* Today was my first day at Mount Massive. Boy, it's insane in there. Men were fighting almost every 5 minutes, threatening to stab each other with home made shanks. Alice knew there was something wrong when I came home, she could see my hands and shoulders were tense. She asked me how it went, I just told her it was eye opening. Waylon introduced me to the other Doctors and some of the inmates. One guy, a Doctor Richard Trager, seemed a little odd to me. The way he dealt with some of the inmates seemed creepy, incredibly so. There's these two huge twins that are always together, talking about another inmate, a Martin Archimbaud, who I have yet to meet. I've been warned by Waylon about some of the inmates, including another ex-soldier called Walker. Apparently he's something to be scared of, hopefully I'll never come into contact with him.** "You're getting warnings about the inmates? Christ, Ed! Aren't they behind bars?" Alice asked why she heard this, Eddie sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger before he took a drink from his scotch. Alice put the dish she was washing down and turned to look at him over her shoulder-he looked exhausted, he looked vulnerable. Alice hadn't send him look like this since he returned from the war, beaten up and petrified. "I'm sorry. I'm just... worried about you. I don't know what it's like in there, but from what I've heard from people it's horrible. I heard they're trying to start some... programme, to test the true stability of the human mind." "What have I said about listening to gossip?" Eddie asked, there was a dark tone to his voice that Alice never liked to hear. When she turned back to the dishes, Eddie sighed and stood from the table. Alice grew nervous as she heard his boots growing closer and jolted slightly when his arms wrapped around her waist, his hands settling on her stomach. "I'm sorry, my darling. I'm just... tired. Today was a lot to take in, there are men in there who look like they haven't seen day light in months, maybe years. One guy, Frank... something, is only concerned about receiving hypnotherapy for his cannibalistic desires." Alice gasped when she heard this and turned to look at Eddie, running a hand down his cheek when she saw his expression. "That Waylon Park better keep you safe. If anything happens to you in there he'll have me to answer to, does he know that?" Alice asked, finally making Eddie laugh as he nodded. With that, she pressed a kiss to her husband's lips as her hands held onto his waist. Eddie lifted Alice from the floor, sat her on the kitchen side and gently pushed her dress up her legs, letting it gather at her hips as he gripped her thighs. Eddie's lips moved to Alice's neck and he kissed there as his hands set to work on unclasping her stockings, rolling it down her right leg before he moved to the left. Alice unbuttoned Eddie's uniform shirt before removing it, letting it fall to the floor. His back was wide and strong with many scars on the skin, Alice ran her fingertips along the bumps and dips, smiling to herself as Eddie pressed a kiss to her collar bone. Suddenly, Eddie's face scrunched and he groaned in pain, bringing one hand to his head a he stumbled back a little. "Ed? Honey, are you okay? Do you want your pill?" When he nodded his head frantically, Alice jumped down from the counter and ran into the next room, opening a drawer and finding a small bottle. She handed one of the small pills to Eddie along with some water and rubbed his back gently as he sat down. "You scared me there." He turned to look at her and smiled a little. "I'm sorry, darling." Eddie whispered, Alice held her hand out to him and led them both to bed when he stood from the chair.


	2. Chapter 2

*May 25, 1949*  
Today at Mount Massive Waylon decided it was time for me to meet this Chris Walker guy everybody has been talking about. This guy is kept in a huge cell with padded walls-the door is made from reinforced steel and the main sound you can hear coming down the hall is chains. I asked Waylon what the deal with this guy was, but he wouldn't tell me. Said it was a 'tale for another time'. I couldn't believe what I saw and I still can't. This guy is enormous, tall and strong. His arms are the size of a Sherman tree. His face is badly damaged, I don't know what happened to him in the past, but boy does he look bad.**

"Okay Gluskin, here's the deal." Waylon started as he lit a cigarette and swilled his scotch around his glass, Eddie took a drink from his own before looking around his office. It was a big room with dark walls, it looked a lot like the common rooms used by the inmates, only this one had a large drinks cabinet in the corner filled mainly with scotches and whiskeys. "Walker used to be in the Military, the stuff he saw out there beat the hell out of the guy. Says the skin he lost from his head helped him see the 'truth', whatever the hell that means. He mutilated his own face because of the anxiety he received from the War, ripped off skin from his nose and lips. He was an Security Guard for Murkoff, working down at Spindletop. Well, let's just say events down there led him to be here. As an inmate." Eddie sighed deeply and took another drink, coughing slightly as the strong liquid slightly burnt his throat and chest.

"What happened in Texas? How did a Guard in Spindletop get to be an inmate at Mount Massive?" Eddie asked, Waylon stubbed out his cigarette and sat back in his chair with a groan as his back cracked loudly.

"Well, if you really want to know, he killed three inmates. Ripped them apart with his bare hands. Murkoff agents down there eventually found he'd also killed a Doctor." When Waylon told Eddie this, he sighed deeply and ran a hand through his black hair, smoothing it down again after. "They discovered he was mentally unstable and sent him to Mount Massive. He's been here ever since."

"Christ, so you're telling me that huge... thing has the ability to kill everyone in here with his bare hands?" Eddie asked, blowing air through his pursed lips when Waylon nodded. "Jesus, Waylon! You didn't tell me about any of this when you offered me the job!"

"I thought cursing was vulgar?" Waylon retorted, causing Eddie to sigh deeply. "Look Gluskin, it's a mental asylum for violent criminals, what were you expecting? If you want to hand over the badge and uniform then okay, but I think you make a great guard." Eddie sighed deeply once again, knowing he couldn't afford to give up the job. That night Eddie couldn't sleep, he laid in bed wide awake, looking up at the ceiling. He could hear Alice breathing gently in her sleep beside him- he turned to look at her and smiled as he carefully placed his hand on her shoulder. He ran over the information about Walker in his head, he hated to think what would happen to Alice if he died-what she'd do or how she'd cope.

"Mm... Ed? What's wrong?" Alice asked in a sleep drenched voice as she sat up and lit the lamp beside her, when she turned to look at Eddie she placed a hand on his forehead. "Do you feel okay?" Eddie nodded and took her hand, pressing a kiss to the palm of it, tasting his own salty sweat on her skin.

"I'm fine, honey. I just can't seem to sleep." Eddie told her, Alice smiled and moved closer, resting her head on his wide shoulder as she held his hand. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Alice simply shook her head and ran her thumb across the thick lines on Eddie's knuckles. "I just can't get something out of my head Waylon told me earlier." Alice sat up, looked at Eddie and raised an eyebrow when she saw his face. With a smile, Alice climbed into Eddie's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Eddie's hands held onto her waist as his head rested against the head board of their bed. "I'm not telling you, I promised when I started this job I wouldn't bring it home or tell you anything about it." When Alice continued to smile her usual 'cute' smile at her husband until he eventually cracked. "Fine. There's this guy, Chris Walker, he's... unlike anyone I've ever seen. He's huge, wider than anything and stronger than anything I've ever known. Turns out he was ex military, like me and worked as a security guard for Murkoff down in Texas. He killed four people and they found countless others mutilated." Eddie watched Alice's face closely, noticing her eyes widen for a moment when he mentioned how many people Walker had killed, however she soon smiled a little and nodded. Her hands absentmindedly drew small circles and patterns on his bare chest, mostly following the scars there. "How did you take that so well? I panicked so much when Waylon told me." "Sweetheart, the security in there is the highest in the County, you're perfectly safe. You know, we should have Waylon and Lisa for dinner one night. It's been so long since I've seen either of them, after all didn't they just have a baby?" When Alice asked this, Eddie smiled and pressed a kiss to his wife's chest, making her giggle. "Billy is 2 years old now." Eddie mentioned, causing Alice to gasp and look down at her husband in shock. Eddie simply laughed and nodded at her reaction. "Waylon says he's a real pain in the behind, but that's two year old boys for you. Hopefully one day we'll know." Alice noticed the smile drop from Eddie's face and instantly sighed before she held his cheek, pressed a kiss to the side of his head and moved her mouth to his ear. "Let's try again." Alice whispered, Eddie sat back and looked up at his wife with one eyebrow raised, she simply smiled and nodded whilst her hands moved down his chest and into his loose pyjama trousers, causing Eddie to breathe in deeply. "Let's try again... for our baby. I know it hasn't worked in the past but...i have a good feeling about this." With that, Alice climbed further up Eddie's strong thighs, moved her night dress further up her thighs and lowered herself onto him, causing them both to moan loudly. Alice slid her hands into Eddie's messy hair-the style only she saw-and began to roll her hips, causing Eddie to groan deeply and hold on to her waist. Sex had always been special to Eddie and Alice, they cherished each others bodies, had their own favourite spots. For example, Alice loved Eddie's arms, she found them so strong and attractive. Eddie, however, loved Alice's stomach. She hated it, she thought it was pudgy and ugly due her not being totally stick thin- Eddie would scoff at her when she mentioned this and would press a kiss to the area in question, telling her: "You're stomach is beautiful, My Love. Like the rest of you. After all, our imperfections make us human." Alice moved onto her back and smiled as Eddie hovered above her, he pressed kisses down her chest as he rolled his hips faster, causing moans and the squeaking mattress to fill the air. Alice wrapped her legs around Eddie's thick waist and held him close to her, the sweat from Eddie's chest caused her night gown to stick to her skin. After a while, Eddie sat back and brought Alice to sit in his lap one again, supporting his weight on his feet whilst he supported Alice on his knees, kissing her as he thrust hardly upwards, causing Alice to moan loudly against his lips. *May 26, 1949* Me and Alice tried again last night, though I again feel in vein. I never feel as though we've conceived a child when it's done, this time was the same. I wonder if we will ever be blessed with a child of our own, or children. There's wishful thinking. I know it kills her, it kills me, too. I love Alice, with all my heart. She once told me to leave her and find another woman who could give her children- a large argument broke out and we didn't speak for hours. When we did, we had the best sex we'd had since we were married. That night I was sure we'd done it, but nothing ever came of it. Is it me? Am I not strong enough to be a Father? Has God not put me through enough? I know Alice blames herself, as I blavme myself. I will always choose Alice over children, if it should ever come to that choice, of course.** ~~~ "Alice, this meatloaf is gorgeous. You must give me the recepie." Lisa commented as she took another mouthful, humming in delight as she smiled to Alice, who simply smiled in thanks as a response to the praise. "Thank you, Lisa. Now tell me, how is Billy? I haven't seen him since he was a baby." Alice asked, Lisa and Waylon turned to look at each other and smiled as they held hands on the table, causing Eddie and Alice to look at each other in confusion. "Billy is just fine. In fact, he's over the moon about having a baby brother or sister!" Lisa exclaimed, causing Alice to gasp as she stood and hugged both the parents to be, as did Eddie-a friendly hand shake passed between himself and Waylon. "Yeah, another little son!" Waylon exclaimed as he took a drink of his wine. "We don't know that, it could be a daughter." Lisa retorted, earning a simple laugh from Waylon. Alice turned to Eddie to see a small smile on his face, but sadness in his eyes. She held his hand and smiled to him, gathering his attention and another small smile. As the night passed, Alice and Lisa sat in the front room as Waylon and Eddie sat on the porch with some scotch, listening to the crickets in the long grass of the fields behind the house. "So, another kid? Excited?" Eddie asked, biting his inner lip ever so slightly out of Jealousy. Waylon smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's another boy. I just know it." Waylon replied, causing Eddie to laugh and shake his head. "What? You don't think it'll be another boy?" Eddie finished his drink, poured another and shrugged his shoulders. "How should I know? Wouldn't you be happy with a daughter, too? You know, I'd love a daughter. I'd make sure she had the best childhood ever. Not like... some kids get." Eddie took a quick, large drink from his scotch and looked around at the night around him, all the while feeling Waylon's eyes on him. "Hey, Gluskin. You know you can tell me anything, right? I mean, after what we've been through together." Waylon finally asked, causing Eddie to sigh and nod. "Have you and Alice... spoken about having kids?" Relieved the topic had changed, Eddie turned to look at his friend and nodded. "And... does she agree with you?" "Alice wants kids as much as I do, we just...can't seem to get pregnant." Eddie replied, hearing a sympathetic hum from Waylon. With a deep, agitated sigh, Eddie sat back in his seat and looked up at the black night sky-it was dotted with tiny stars, like tiny metal pins. When Waylon started to laugh, Eddie turned to look at him and raised his scarred eyebrow when he saw a smirk on the younger man's face. "You know, one thing always gets Lisa. I put on her favourite record, get some wine and make us both some dinner. After we've eaten, i take her to sit on the porch and we look up at the stars as we drink wine. Try that and keep trying it, until you have touchdown!" Waylon exclaimed, Eddie couldn't help but laugh at his friend as he simply nodded and pushed the information to the back of his mind.. *June 1,1949* Work today was dreadful. A new guy has been moved into Mount Massive, Dennis something. He has four different personalities- some kind of family. He's seriously deranged, he keeps to himself and really believes these three other people are there with him. Honestly, I just can't wait to get home to Alice-I really need her right now. ** Alice had been visiting her Mother that afternoon and was only just returning home- her feet ached, she was tired and needed a drink. When she walked through the door, removed her shoes and placed down her bag, she raised one eyebrow when she smelt something. Roses? No, that wasn't it. It was floral, that she was certain of but she couldn't work out what. "Darling, is that you?" Eddie shouted from somewhere in the house, bringing a smile to Alice's face. Alice walked down the hall and turned to enter the next room, however she stopped when she saw what Eddie had done. She stood in the doorway, watching her husband as he frantically rearrange the flowers in a decorative China vase-it looked expensive, maybe more than what they could afford. When Alice cleared her throat, Eddie turned to look at her with a jolt and smiled when he saw her: it was a smile Alice hadn't seen in some years, since before the war, possibly the last time she saw that smile was their wedding day. "Ah, welcome home!" Eddie met Alice, took her hands in his and kissed her gently. She looked around the room and her smile grew with each new feature she noticed- candles had been lit, the room smelt of Lillies and the fire was burning gently, filling the room with a quiet crackle as the wood burnt down. Music was playing on their old record player- Eddie had inherited it from a friend of his who died when they were young, he hold told Alice many times of the records they used to listen to as young boys. "Eddie, what's going on? What is all this?" Alice asked, taking a seat on the couch and smiling as Eddie passed her a glass of wine. He took a seat next to her, rather nervously, and smiled as he looked at her, gently pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, you've seemed stressed lately, I wanted to surprise you." Eddie replied in a quiet voice which made Alice smile. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and took another drink.


	3. Chapter 3

*6 May, 1949* Last night I had a dream unlike any other. I woke up dripping in a cold sweat, struggling to catch my breath and my head was pounding. I crept from the room so I didn't wake Alice and sat in the front room with some scotch. Why had I dreamt that? Me and Waylon were... No, I was... I don't know how to say it. Me and Waylon were having sex. In his office. Why had I dreamt that? The worst thing was it felt... Good. Amazing, in fact. I woke with...the feeling only being with Alice gives me. I felt such a stabbing guilt in my chest when I thought about Alice lying asleep upstairs and the pleasure I had taken from that dream.** I heard the stairs creaking and turned to look over my shoulder when I heard the dainty footsteps I had grown to know- I smiled to Alice when she crept into the room, holding her stomach. She looked pale, her skin was sweating and looked clammy. "Are you okay, darling?" I asked, she simply nodded as she walked further into the room. I tapped my knees, smiling when she sat down and groaned deeply. I placed my hand on her forehead and gasped when I felt her skin. She had a burning hot temperature but was sweating a freezing sweat. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Alice simply shrugged her shoulders and breathed deeply. "I think I have a flu. I've just been sick upstairs, my stomach is really hurting!" She complained as her hand wiped some of the freezing cold sweat from her forehead. I set my hand on her stomach and, with a sympathetic hum, pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Get back to bed. I'll make you a nice hot cup of tea and join you in a moment." Was all I replied, rubbing the bottom of her back soothingly as she nodded and climbed from my lap once again. When her footsteps disappeared back upstairs and I heard the door to our bedroom close, I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair as my thoughts travelled back to my dream. I had no feelings like that about Waylon, why would I? I'm not like some of the guys in the army, people had asked before if I had ever grown lonely away at war, knowing all too well what they were suggesting. I quickly finished my drink, coughing as it burnt down my throat and chest, before I stood and made my way to the kitchen to make some tea for Alice- who I could hear vomiting upstairs. ~~~3 Days Later~~~ Alice's POV I looked at the small piece of paper in my gloved hand that Waylon had given to me some days ago. "This is the guy you need to see. Real discreet son of a gun. He'll check you over and old Vulgar Drawers will know nothing about it." He told me as he wrote a name, telephone number and address down on the paper before tearing it from his notepad. As my eyes scanned over the scribbled writing, I suddenly realised that I knew the address. When I looked up at Waylon, he smiled and shook his head as he sat on the edge of his desk. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Ol' Hubby is out of the way. I'll make up some bullshit about a disturbance in the Courtyard. Those Sons of Bitches are always starting fights over who's shirts and who's skins." With a deep sigh, I nodded and placed the paper carefully in my purse. "So, he really doesn't like you going to Doctors alone, huh?" With a deep sigh, I shook my head and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Eddie has a thing about Doctors. A... phobia, I suppose you could call it. He doesn't trust them, always thinks they're planning something...' evil'." I replied, looking at Waylon when he laughed smugly. "I'm sure you've got fears of your own, Mr Park." "Naturally. They're what make us human, after all." Waylon simply replied before he lit a cigarette, offering one to me which I kindly refused. This caused him to raise an eyebrow. "Not smoking? Given up, have you?" "No, I just haven't wanted one recently. The taste makes me feel... nauseous." I replied, noticing Waylon's expression. "What?" He merely shook his head and lit the cigarette, throwing the box of matches onto his desk. "Could you take me up? To the Hospital, I mean." "Hospital? Oh, you mean the loony bin?" Waylon asked with a laugh, causing me to roll my eyes. "Sure I can. Old Trager should be free all day, unless somethings happened up there. Come on, I'll take you now. I can usually pin point Old Eddie at this time of day. My guess is he's in the games room talking to Dennis." As I stood from the chair and followed Waylon out of his house, I watched him with one eyebrow raised as he unlocked the door and held it open for me. When he started to drive, I turned to look out of the window and sighed deeply. "Eddie and this Dennis fella have been talking quite a bit. He seems to be the only person in the whole Asylum Dennis trusts. Must he something about him, must seem friendly." This caused me to laugh, bringing Waylon's attention to me. "What? Don't think your husbands friendly?" "Of course I do! It's just... Well, Eddie isn't the type who you'd look at and think 'Oh, he must be friendly', is he?" I asked, causing Waylon to laugh as he nodded in agreement. He threw the cigarette out of the window when we reached the Asylum, saying hello to the man at the gate who seemed to recognise him. "Ah, good morning Doctor Park. I didn't think you were working today? Oh, hello madam." The old guard tipped his hat to me, I simply smiled and waved. "Don, this is Miss Alice Gluskin. Ol' Eddie's wife! She's here to see Trager, is he in?" Waylon said, causing me to close my eyes at his lack of discretion. The old man nodded and opened the gate for the car. When my eyes settled on the building in front of us, I suddenly felt unsafe, as though I was in danger. "Well, here we are." Waylon jumped out of the car, walked to my side and helped me out. "It's quite something, huh?" I turned to look at him and smiled weakly as I nodded. "Okay, follow me. I'll make sure you get to Trager and I'll track down Lover Boy." I simply laughed quietly and followed Waylon as he walked into Mount Massive. As soon as the large doors closed behind me, I felt unnerved as I looked around me. Men in straight-jackets were sitting on the couches, floors and were hunched over speaking to themselves. Some seemed to look at me strangley when myself and Waylon walked in, however Waylon soon stepped closer to me- as though to protect me. "Hey, Dr Park, that your girl?" One of the men shouted whilst others whooped and made noises. I simply kept close to Waylon as we passed through the room, heading for the elevator at the end. When it closed, I let out a sigh of relief and wiped some cold sweat that had beaded on my forehead. "Relax, I'll keep you safe." Waylon said as he winked, making me laugh a little as I watched the floors passing in front of us. As the elevator came to a stop, I suddenly gasped and went wide eyed when I heard shouting, sweating and things being smashed. "I knew it was coming. You filthy fucking machines! You fucking machines! No! No, not again. No! No! Jack-booted fucks, I know what you've been doing to me. I know what you've been... Help! Help me! Help me, they're going to rape me! Rape! Rape!" Someone shouted before a door was slammed. Waylon turned to look at me, simply rolled his eyes and held out his arm. "Just a normal day at the office. Please, this way." He said, I nervously nodded and stepped out. The smell of blood instantly hit my nostrils and my stomach churned, bile rose to the back of my throat and I brought my hand to my mouth. "Oh, dear! We have a sick woman here. Can someone get me a glass of water and some bread?" A voice said as a hand settled on my arm. I turned to look beside me and saw a tall, strange looking man with hair tied behind his head smiling to me. "Park? What are you doing here on your day off?" "Well, I've come to bring Mrs Gluskin here to see you." Waylon replied to the man I now guessed was this Doctor Trager. I looked back at the man and felt a little nervous by his smile, it seemed to crack his face and distort it. "Mrs Gluskin? The same Gluskin as our lovely security man?" Doctor Trager asked, I simply nodded. "Well, what a lucky man! Right this way please, Mrs Gluskin! Park, are you coming?" As the Doctor put his arm around me and began to walk us towards a door, I turned to look at Waylon, silently hoping he would join. However, he shook his head. "Nah, I'm gonna track down old Tough Balls. I'll come back in 10 minutes, huh?" Waylon said to me, I merely smiled and turned back around when Doctor Trager opened a door. I stepped into what looked like an office with a large screen in the corner. "Please, take a seat on the bed behind the screen. Although, I think I know what's going on." The Doctor told me, with a confused nod, I slowly made my way behind the screen and jumped up onto the bed. When the Doctor stepped back into view, he stood uncomfortably close to me and hummed as his eyes scanned me up and down. "Mrs Gluskin, have you been feeling ill lately?" I simply nodded and opened my mouth to speak, however I wasn't given a chance. "Sweating? Sickness? Especially in the mornings?" Another nod. Doctor Trager hummed and nodded as his finger tapped his chin. "You seemed to be overcome with nausea when the smell of blood reached your nose. Tell me, does this usually happen?" "No, not usually. Recently, a lot of smells have been affecting me like that." I finally replied, Doctor Trager was writing something on a piece of paper, making me nervous. "Speaking of blood... This is a personal question, so I do apologise. But... Mrs Gluskin, when was your last bleeding?" Doctor Trager asked, I felt a blush rise to my cheeks when he asked this question. "I do apologise for asking you this." "Well, I'm two weeks overdue." I finally replied in a hushed voice. The Doctor removed his glasses and nodded as he looked at me. "Now... Mrs Gluskin. I need to run some tests that are a little... invasive. Now, please could you remove your underwear and lie back." ~~~Eddie's POV~~~ "Waylon, why are you here?" I asked when Waylon walked onto the courtyard. He seemed a little nervous around me, which instantly struck me as strange. "Nothing, just thought I'd come in for a while. How's today been?" He asked me, holding his hands behind his back as he awkwardly shifted on his feet. I raised one eyebrow and simply nodded. I had been overseeing the game of basketball currently going on whilst speaking to Dennis, who was sitting on the bench alone. "Hey, have you seen this reporter that's here? I don't know why, he's been... snooping around all morning. He looks shifty to me, Waylon." I told him, scanning the courtyard looking for the man. Waylon raised one eyebrow and shook his head. "I wasn't told anything about any reporter. Trager must have arranged it." He replied. When my eyes finally settled on the reporter, I nudged Waylon with my elbow and nodded across the courtyard--when his eyes fell on him, he nodded and straightened his jacket. "You leave this with me, old boy." I watched Waylon as he walked across the courtyard and shook my head before I turned to look to my side when I noticed someone approaching me. "Good afternoon, Dennis." I said in a cheerful tone when the younger man stood beside me, an arms length away as usual. Dennis had only opened up to me, Waylon once told me even when he was admitted to Mount Massive he hadn't spoken to anybody. "How are you today?" "The sky's dark today, Eddie." He muttered, causing me to raise an eyebrow. This wasn't how Dennis usually spoke, he sounded dark and nervous. When I turned to look down at him, Dennis was looking up at the sky. True enough, it was grey and it looked like rain. With a deep sigh, I tried again. "How are you feeling?" I asked, once again, to be ignored. "Everybody looks nervous." Dennis muttered again, causing another deep sigh. "Eddie... Who's that man?" Dennis turned to look at the reporter Waylon had gone to speak to. He was shaking hands with the man and both seemed to be smiling- although I knew Waylon was sneaking about something. "Some of the boys inside say a woman is here. Pretty, too, apparently." This raised my suspicion, I turned to look down at the smaller man and raised one eyebrow as he walked away from me. I made a move to turn back to look at Waylon and the mystery reporter, however a loud commotion coming from inside raised my attention. "Meat! Meat! There's meat in her!" I heard a voice shouting, followed by a female screaming. I told the other inmates to calm down as I made my way inside. "Frank! Frank, stop that! Get back, you! Where the fuck's that huge security guy?" I heard Doctor Trager shout, just as I turned the corner I went wide eyed when I saw Alice inside the elevator, hiding behind the barred door as the Doctor held the inmate back. "Ah! Here you are, hold this bastard down whilst I tranq him, will you?" My eyes left Alice for a split second, looking at the struggling Doctor. I tackled Frank to the ground and waited until the Doctor injected him, he soon stopped writhing around and fell limp on the floor. Without thinking about him, I ran to the elevator and opened the door. "What the hell are you doing here?" I shouted, seeing Alice's already shocked face whiten even more. I took a deep breathe and pulled her close to me, burying her in my chest. "Come on, I'll take you for a drink. Doctor Trager, Sir, might I have 20 minutes break?" The Doctor turned around and nodded. "Course, Eddie, Course. I'll let Dr Park know." Was all he said before he and Dennis led the unconscious patient away down a hall. I took Alice's small, cold hand in mine and led her to Waylon's office. As soon as the door closed, I pressed a kiss to her hair. "Darling, are you okay? What on earth are you doing here?" I asked as I ran a hand down her cheek. Alice looked into my eyes and I noticed something was different, there was an unusual glimmer there. "Alice?" "Waylon brought me to see Dr Trager." She began, I sat her down and nodded as I poured us both a scotch. "I haven't been well, Ed, you know that. Well, he knows why." She took a drink and coughed a little, I merely looked at her and waited for her to continue. What she said next shook my whole body, I kept from the chair and grabbed her tightly, spinning her around in the air before I knelt on the floor in front of her and kissed her stomach. "Really? Truly? A baby?" I asked, Alice burst into a smile and nodded, dropping to her knees to press a long kiss to my lips.


End file.
